Afghanistan 2004 -Security with a Human Face
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AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2004 Security with a Human Face: Challenges and Responsibilities U N D P Afghanistan Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ©United Nations Development Programme 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of UNDP. The analysis and policy recommendations of this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the UNDP nor those of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The report is a publication commissioned by UNDP and authored by an independent team. Cover designed by the Afghan artist Sharif Ahmad Haidari, from Herat, winner of the UNDP competition for the National Human Development Report cover. Design and Printing: Army Press, Plot # 1, Street 40, I & T Center, G-10/4, Islamabad, Pakistan The Preparatory Team National Coordinator of the Project Background Paper Authors Abdullah Mojaddedi Mohammad Najeeb Azizi, Homira Nassery, Daud S. Saba, Lutfullah Safi, Naqibullah Safi, Said Mubin Editor-in-Chief Shah and Nasrullah Stanikzai Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh Thematic Paper Authors Principal Authors Abdul Baqi Banwal, Ramazan Bashar Dost, Nancy Daud S. Saba and Omar Zakhilwal Dupree, Abdul Rashid Fakhri, Abdullah Haqaiqi, Mir Ahmad Joyenda, Partaw Nadiri, Ahmad Zia Neikbin, Contributing Authors Daud Rawish, Asadullah Walwalji and Seddiq Weera Abi Masefield and Michael Schoiswohl Statistician National Advisory Panel R. N. Pandey Minister Haneef Atmar (Chair), Abdul Baqi Banwal, Data Analyst Abdul Rashid Fakhri, Hafizullah Haddad, Abdullah Haqiq Rahmani Haqaiqi, Helena Malikyar, Nilab Mobarez, Daud Administrative and Research Assistant Rawish, Safia Siddiqi and Asadullah Walwalji Sadeq Wardak International Expert Committee Research Assistants Katarina Ammitzboell, Nancy Hatch Dupree, Carol Abdul Latif Bari and Khial M. Sahebi le-Duc, Ishaq Nadiri, Omar Noman, Barnett Rubin UNDP Focal Points and Andrew Wilder Fakhruddin Azizi and Michael Schoiswohl Foreword Afghanistan has come a long way since development, as an alternative December 2001 when the Transitional development paradigm that emphasizes Islamic State of Afghanistan came into people as both the agents of change and existence. The Government has moved objects of development, is highly towards consolidating its power, bringing appropriate for post-conflict Afghanistan. security and national unity. Today, we With the country now engaged in a have a new Constitution, have made transition from relief to development, from progress in our state-building activities emergency projects to sustainable policies, and have improved our ability to provide from short-term contingency planning to good governance. For the first time in long-term perspectives, human history, Afghanistan has an elected development can be an ideal framework President. The economy has picked up and for the development vision of Afghanistan. so has the reconstruction of the I am optimistic that the preparation of infrastructure. Since 2002, we have seen NHDRs in Afghanistan will help us vet a record high school enrolment of about different policy options and design better 4 million students, and several people-oriented policies and programs. accomplishments in the health sector, particularly in the vaccination campaigns. The preparation of the first NHDR in As the high levels of voting in the Afghanistan enjoyed strong Government Presidential elections attested, the Afghan support, since we believe in its contribution people now have high expectations for the to current efforts to develop a coherent new Government to deliver on security development strategy for the upcoming and reconstruction, and to do it on the years based on reliable data and objective basis of the rule of law and a commitment analysis. to transparency and accountability. As was expected, the report has painted a Afghanistan has once again restored its gloomy picture of the status of human status in the international community, development in the country after two which in turn has reaffirmed its support decades of war and destruction. The for the reconstruction efforts through Human Development Index (HDI) value generous pledges committed at the donor calculated nationally puts Afghanistan at Conference in Berlin. We now look the dismal ranking of 173 out of 178 forward to the preparation for the countries worldwide. Yet the HDI also Parliamentary elections in April 2005. presents us with a benchmark against The Government recognizes the challenges which progress can be measured in the future. ahead, including those of providing security and at the same time livelihoods The Government of Afghanistan may not for all Afghans. Curbing corruption, agree with all the contents of this NHDR, bringing reconstruction gains to all regions which has been prepared by a team of of Afghanistan, drawing in foreign independent authors, but we are confident investment in a secure involvement, and that the recommendations and conclusions opening up the political process to of the report will contribute to the participation remain the top priorities of multiplicity of debates for shaping the the new Government. As the country now future of Afghanistan. turns a new leaf, our ambition is to give hope to each and every Afghan. At this crucial juncture in our history, I am very pleased that the first National Human Development Report (NHDR) of Afghanistan has been prepared for the year Hamid Karzai 2004 with the relevant theme of human President of the Islamic security. The concept of human Republic of Afghanistan FOREWORD V Preface It is my pleasure to introduce the first human rights abuses, but also the ability NHDR for Afghanistan. Since 1990, the of the Afghan people to access basic needs United Nations Development Programme (education, health, food, shelter, incomes, (UNDP) has produced annual globallivelihoods, etc.) and strategic needs Human Development Reports as analytical (participation, dignity, empowerment, etc.). and policy tools designed to promote the The report argues that while many gains concept of human development. Each year, have been made in the past two years, the these reports calculate the Human country could still fall into a cycle of Development Index and rank about 175 conflict and instability unless the genuine participating countries; unfortunately, grievances of people – the lack of jobs, Afghanistan has not been included since health, education, income, dignity, 1996 due to the unavailability of data. We opportunities for participation, etc. – are are especially proud this year to be able dealt with adequately. The report analyses to put Afghanistan back in the global the local roots of insecurity today, and ranking, which assesses progress made makes recommendations for policies and towards the well-being of all people. actions required from the new Afghan Government, civil society and the Since 1992, UNDP has also sponsored international community. NHDRs prepared as well as owned by independent national teams. So far, more This first NHDR for Afghanistan provides than 479 national and sub-national reports three out of four human development have been produced by 135 countries, in indices: the Human Development Index addition to 24 regional reports. (HDI), the Gender Development Index Afghanistan’s first NHDR, commissioned (GDI) and the Human Poverty Index (HPI). by UNDP but compiled by an independent At this stage, the HDI, GDI and HPI could team of authors, joins this family in 2004. only be calculated at the national level, given that statistics on income After 23 years of war, Afghanistan has disaggregated by district or even province now entered a period of stabilization were not available. I am confident that an conducive to the design and expanding and increasingly reliable pool implementation of a new development of data will allow subsequent NHDR teams vision. As the new Government sets out to prepare more thorough analyses in the to devise long-term, sustainable policies, next few years. the first NHDR for Afghanistan proposes an ambitious vision: putting all Afghan With this report, UNDP is also launching people equally at the forefront of all new a long-term commitment to support the policies, both as the ends and the means production of biannual NHDRs in of democracy and development. Afghanistan. These will contribute to the calculation of progress in human The report uses a human security lens to development indicators. While the current look at the linkages between safety, dignity report presents a broad overview of and livelihoods. For too long, the problems numerous interlinked challenges for of Afghanistan were seen as being the Afghanistan today, future editions will be result of a political conflict that required devoted to particular topics. The military solutions. The NHDR expands recommendations in this NHDR are broad; the notion of “security” in Afghanistan to subsequent in-depth studies will evaluate cover not only freedom from violence and concrete policy options. VI PREFACE The preparation of this report laid the especially grateful for the support of foundations for extensive sharing of Minister of Finance Ashraf Ghani, and information and advocacy on human Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and development through trainings, the Development Haneef Atmar, a human commissioning of studies, lectures and development champion. nationwide consultations. It also led to I hope